Dead at Heart (Ariel and Jayson) novel Chapter 851

The business trip was arranged pretty last-minute.

Ariel was honestly confused. She was just a PR staff member. What kind of work could possibly involve her traveling with Jayson?

Especially…

As she stood by the car, her suspicion grew. "We're driving?"

That was a long way to go by car.

Jayson wasn't wearing a suit, just a sleek black casual outfit. He loaded the suitcase into the trunk and replied calmly, "Yeah, figured I'd do some scouting along the way."

Ariel felt something was off. But since he insisted, what choice did she have? She got in the car, still full of doubts.

Jayson handed her a pair of sunglasses. "Wear these if the sun's too bright."

She glanced at them and saw they matched the pair hanging from his chest.

Her heart skipped a beat. "Did you bring these just for me?"

"I bought them in bulk."

She was rendered speechless.

Still, driving all that way to Nacledra just felt off. After some hesitation, Ariel finally asked, "Are you sure you're up for this?"

Jayson looked at her with a strange glint in his eyes. "What are you implying?"

Realizing her words might have implied something else, Ariel hurried to explain, "No, no. I mean, I only got my license a month before graduation, and I'm still on probation. If you get tired of driving, I can't take over."

Jayson noticed her ears turning red. He hadn't even started teasing for real yet.

He turned the steering wheel. When he glanced sideways at the rearview mirror, a slight smile tugged at his lips. "If I get tired, worst case, I take you down with me in a ditch. Fate would decide for us."

Ariel froze.

How was she supposed to close her eyes now? She might as well stay wide awake the whole time.

True enough, for the first eight hours, Jayson noticed her tension. Her eyes stayed wide open, locked on the road, and her hands gripped the seatbelt so tight she never relaxed.

Whenever he said he wanted water, she handed him a straw. When he said he was hungry, she fed him cookies.

Ariel thought she had misheard him.

Was that really something he would say?

He lazily flicked his eyes toward her. "Or do you want to drive?"

He was just teasing her. He wasn't tired or sleepy at all. He just liked watching her little reactions.

Just as his lips curled into a smirk, a shadow leaned in close, a soft scent hit him, and a quick kiss landed on the corner of his mouth.

His pupils flickered. Before he could even taste it, Ariel had already pulled away.

The kiss lasted barely a second.

Jayson's grip on the wheel tightened. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he glanced sideways at her coolly.

Ariel sat up straight. Her cheeks were burning bright red, and her expression was totally serious. "Drive safely, Mr. Larkin."

Her survival instinct had just overridden her shyness. Whatever he was thinking, keeping him alert behind the wheel was what mattered most. She wasn't ready to give up her life just yet.